Struck by Lightning
by Piggyspud
Summary: Cars 3 AU: What if Lightning never went to Radiator Springs and ended up winning his first Piston Cup instead? In this story, Lightning McQueen is a legend that even Jackson Storm respects. They soon realise how similar their lives are, which sets a spark between them, but it's a Piston Cup season and neither of them wants to lose. (The rating may change)
1. Chapter 1

Winning the Florida 400 race was special to Jackson Storm. Why? Because of the one and only, Lightning McQueen. Storm was a huge fan of his for various reasons: McQueen had been the first rookie to win Piston Cup about ten years ago. Currently, his total record was eight trophies, which meant McQueen had beaten the King. He was the face of Dinoco and an international world champion.  
But this was not all: McQueen was known for being difficult to work with. He had raced countless times without a crew chief on his team and the same pit crew never lasted over a year. Apparently McQueen had stated that they showed to be slowpokes and he could race alone without them. Storm couldn't believe his idol's unbreakable confidence and laid-back attitude. That's why he had been excited to finally compete against McQueen and impress him. Now the race was over, Storm drove off the stage and saw the legend himself coming towards him. McQueen had switched from Dinoco blue back to his original red paint a few years ago, but he preferred the golden tires over basic ones. Storm couldn't judge him for it, they looked fierce.

"Jackson Storm, huh? You did pretty well," Lightning complimented, flashing a bright smile. Storm didn't really respect older racers but this was Lightning McQueen. He didn't want to give a bad first impression so he returned the smile.

"Why thank you, Mr McQueen. You were great too, as always."

"Well, yeah. Could have done better but then I would have stolen your spotlight." Storm chose not to comment on that. Even after losing, McQueen's confidence never vanished. "So they say you're a frontrunner of the next generation. What's your max speed, kiddo?"

Storm wasn't expecting a question like that. Not like he minded but the truth was he was far faster than any other racing car. He wondered how McQueen would react since he owned the present speed record on the track.

"Uhm... I've managed to hit 214 mph."

Lightning's eyes grew wide. "Oh, that's... a good number." By listening to McQueen's tone, Storm got worried that he ruined the mood already. He tried to come up with something supportive which he seldom did for somebody else.

"200 mph is tough to get too... and if I remember correctly, you beat Francesco Bernoulli whose max speed is 220. From a stock car like you, it sounds impossible."

McQueen's signature smile was back.

"Looks like I got a fan."

Storm glanced away. He should have seen that one coming. Lightning took the silence as a cue. He felt much more relaxed to know the newcomer admired him and was not going to be a threat. Well, he was a threat either way but Lightning had years of experience. He was not going to be overshadowed that quick. He gave a poke on Storm's tire in a playful manner.

"Hey, I'm all about fans, kid. I'm happy to be an inspiration."

"Yeah, you do are...," Storm answered, "Just as a warning, I don't usually appreciate older racers for their slowness and I kinda have made it clear for everyone. So if I ever ignore you, don't take it personally." Storm was a straightforward guy and his image mattered a lot. Acting as a fanboy for McQueen in the public was simply not cool. He believed the other would understand. What Lightning had heard, on the other hand, was an insult to his age and his speed. And Lord, when he felt insulted...

Storm winced as he saw McQueen's angry stare. This meant no good.

"Excuse me, junior. Are you saying that I'm _old and slow_?"

"No, Mr McQueen, let me explain-"

"Oh, I heard you. You don't get to speak to me like that," Lightning spoke in a malicious way, the one he used to lecture his pit crew. "Winning me once doesn't make you superior. You have to earn it. Capiche?"

Typically, Storm would have said a clever comeback, but angering McQueen more didn't seem like a great idea. Besides, they were cameras everywhere. He needed to fix this and fast or else this could affect his career in some way. Storm put on his best guilty face.

"I'm sorry and you're right. All this is making me properly overwhelmed, so I end up blurting stuff that I don't actually mean..."

"Then what is your point?" Lightning asked, not buying Storm's apology.

"My point is I'm not going to act any different around you, at least while racing. I came here to make history after all," Storm admitted and gave a small smirk. Lightning remembered thinking the same way as a rookie too. Usually, newcomers were too insecure about themselves and took their time to get used to their careers. Storm was not one of those guys. Lightning saw the potential through and it got him both amazed and worried. He couldn't deny the fact that this rookie had both the speed and the hunger for success.

Storm's truck with his trailer arrived in the scene. He nodded at McQueen as a farewell and backed inside, but before pressing the door shut, McQueen had something to say.

"Hold up."

Storm raised his eyebrow at him. The press and paparazzi gathered around them to take final pictures. McQueen was smiling at the cameras and then his eyes gazed right at Storm's. He moved a little bit closer and whispered: "I like your attitude, Jackson. Keep it up. And don't worry, I'm not mad anymore."

Storm tried to keep his smile petite and nodded once. He actually remembered his name.

"See you in the next race, babe," McQueen said in a clearer voice and winked, taking the press and paparazzi with him. Storm caught himself staring at McQueen's rear and shook his head. He has never been called 'babe' by another man before. It probably meant nothing but McQueen had an interesting dating history. Basically, the guy was a casanova to every car he found attractive.

Storm pressed the button to shut the door and turned on loud dubstep music. The season was just in the beginning and he had a great start. _Let's see if McQueen is able to beat me._


	2. Chapter 2

Jackson Storm's winning streak was incredible to witness. His strategy was simple yet effective: he always showed off his max speed at the very end of every race. In this way, he didn't have to worry about exhaustion, and it forced other competitors to push themselves off their limits. This also separated the Next-Gen rookies from veterans. The racing world was starting to notice the great change in the sport and this meant bad news even for Lightning McQueen.

Lightning managed to always be in the top three in every event but it wasn't enough. Being constantly in second place was outrageous. On top of that, his engine was now suffering from overheating for pushing too hard to match Storm. Yet the rookie acted civil each time they met during the race. Storm made fun of others with no respect but left Lightning out of it and sometimes if he was in the mood, complimented him for trying. Lightning thought Storm was only messing with him which was not true. Storm was genuinely enjoying competing against Lightning and the day before another race, he admitted it while they were training on the track.

"You know, I love how you're not giving up. I think you're making some progress," Storm smiled and tapped on Lightning's tire who rolled his eyes at this.

"Drop the act, kid. I know you're just pretending to be nice to get inside my head," Lightning said and moved aside to sip some oil. Storm wiped the smile off his face.

"I'm not pretending, McQueen... I like racing with ya. If only they let you upgrade your parts, you'd be crossing the finish line in record time."

Lightning grunted. The World Grand Prix was a whole different competition which had long and complex tracks. Piston cup was about driving laps on asphalt. Upgrades would be unnecessary and embarrassing. But how would a rookie know about these differences? Storm twitched the subject.

"By the way, what's Dinoco like? My current sponsor IGNTR is kinda new and I bet I'm the only reason people know about the product. Have you seen the new commercial? The slogan is a neat joke even though I didn't come up with it. I hope it doesn't offend you," Storm rambled. Lightning turned to face him and forced a grin.

"Yeah, I've seen it. '_My IGNTR Liquid Adrenaline will make you faster than lightning!'"_ he mimicked Storm's voice, "It's _so _smart," Lightning finished sarcastically. Storm couldn't help it but laugh. Lightning's lips tucked into a little smile. The tension in the air was breaking down on its own.

"It was my first time acting, okay! I know I overdid it but so did you in those old Rust-eze commercials," Storm bantered.

"Oh, don't even remind me," Lightning laughed, "I got much better after taking acting lessons. Who knew Hollywood would let a race car act in a real movie?"

"I liked that movie. Lots of action and explosions and corny lines from you," Storm laughed some more and it was Lightning's turn to tap back.

The jokes went on for a while until the topic moved on to friends. Lightning had a few buddies but none of them was close. Bobby and Cal were cool guys to hang out with and Mack always had Lightning's back yet they never talked about life problems or secrets. Storm lived the same way. He had no true friends despite getting along with some of the other rookies. His time was filled with training, interviews, business calls, meeting fans and, of course, racing.

"I'm surprised. I thought a legend like you has tons of friends," Storm spoke. Lightning looked to the side.

"Nope, fame can be misleading."

"What about a girlfriend?" Storm asked. Lightning thought for a moment.

"Nah, most women I have dated were short affairs," he sighed. Storm paused to think twice his next question.

"What about, uh... a boyfriend? Any luck?"

Lightning lifted his eyebrows at him. Was Storm hinting about something...? Lightning flashed a knowing smirk. Oh, now he got it: Storm was crushing on him. No wonder the rookie loved to be around him. Who would blame him? Everyone wanted to be around Lightning McQueen. He could have a little fun with this. The race day was tomorrow and he was getting desperate. His engine couldn't reach the same level as Storm's, but that didn't mean there were no other options. If Lightning played his cards right, Storm would have a higher risk to lose. He had to give it a try.

"Actually there is this one guy that keeps driving me crazy..."

Storm tensed a little. Interesting, he thought. He wondered if he knew this guy McQueen was speaking of. "Is it someone you work with?"

"You could say so," Lightning answered.

"Is he here today?"

"Uh-huh," Lightning hummed.

"Wait, is he a racer too?" Storm had a list of names on his head. How many racers had arrived in the morning? They were about over twenty right now who had made it. Most of them were the Next-Gen rookies.

Lightning restrained his laughter. Storm was acting so oblivious, it was adorable. Lightning pushed it even further.

"Yep, and he's the hottest car ever. A real catch if you ask from me. Some days I wish I could just take him inside my trailer and give it to him _hard and fast,_" Lightning emphasized around the last words as he watched the other's reaction unfold.

Storm shot his eyes wide open. Why was he telling him all this? McQueen definitely had no shame with himself. The conversation had taken an odd turn and Storm was eyeing for an escape route. When Lightning realised Storm not getting the hints, he shook his head at him.

"I'm talking about you, handsome."

"M-me?" Storm squeaked. No, he should not take this as a big deal. Expect it was not every day to hear a racing legend having a crush on him. McQueen calling him the hottest car was undoubtedly true but the whole situation seemed absurd. Storm really got the skills to impress _anyone_ in existence. The problem was he had no idea what would be an appropriate answer.

"I-, err...," Storm coughed, "Wow, Mister McQueen, I must say your confession is... quite bold. I mean, of course you find me insanely attractive, who wouldn't? You just happen to be the first famous racer to admit it."

"C'mon, don't you think the same way about me?" Lightning asked for the truth. Storm froze in the spot. "Well...," he glanced towards the open track, "Sorry, I came here to train. Let's talk later."

Storm hurried away and began driving laps as fast as he could at the moment. Forget McQueen, he told himself, but his eyes drifted toward the red car each time he came to view.  
Lightning watched him amused and joined in when Storm passed the finish line for the fourth time. The rookie immediately dropped speed, his mind focusing on his idol beside him and not on the track in front. Lightning noticed this and he leaned on Storm's side.

"Aw, did I scare you? Taking things slow is not my thing, so I cut the chase fast. I can take you to dinner first if you like," Lightning suggested.

"No thank you, I don't go on dates." Storm tried to sound uninterested.

"Seems like we got a lot of things in common," Lightning winked which caused Storm to nearly drive against the wall. Before he had a chance to say anything, the other had taken off. Storm saw McQueen further ahead, not caring to slow down. The rookie speeded up to catch him, but Lightning was now prepared. Each time Storm was trying to get in first, Lightning blocked the path with ease. At first, this frustrated Storm, until he figured out that the distance was the key. Lightning didn't pay attention to what was happening behind him and kept driving at the same pace. Suddenly a flash of black and blue raced passed him and took the lead.

"Good try, McQueen, but your backside was blocking the view!" Storm shouted.

"At least now you know how it feels to drive behind you each race!" Lightning shot back and laughed.

"You complaining?"

Lightning managed to build up momentum and get closer while the other was distracted.

"Never, babe." Storm glanced to the side as Lightning caught up to him again. They both were having a similar thought: _you won't beat me.  
_Storm chose to go for a dirty move: he leaned against Lightning, forcing the other near the wall. At some point, Lightning would give in and move back. This was a bluff his coach had taught him. Pushing someone against the wall for real was illegal yet the rules did not matter for everyone.

"Don't make me ruin your paint job," Storm threatened.

What he didn't remember was that Lightning was not the one be cornered. As expected, he jumped over Storm and landed perfectly on his tires. It was Lightning McQueen's special move. Storm gasped for air, he should have known.

"Ka-chow!" Lightning said his catchphrase and shone the headlight in the rookie's eye, leaving him to eat dust. "Hey!"

Lightning crossed the finish line for the last time and withdrew from the track. Cal and Bobby, who had seen their training, tirebumped Lightning on the way and all three shared a laugh. Lightning glanced towards Storm and smirked. What had caused Storm's loss? The lack of concentration and experience, Lightning thought. Tomorrow's race was going to be his day.

He went to go find his trailer, predicting Storm was going to follow. Just like he had planned out. Storm appeared beside Lightning, attempting to act as if he wasn't bothered about the loss. He had to keep his head in the competition which was no longer an easy task. He was getting curious about McQueen's offer.

"You actually managed to win me," Storm started, "Well, this was only training. I went easy on you, so that's why..."

"We'll see it tomorrow, kiddo," Lightning stated. Storm chewed on his lip. Now or never.

"McQueen... You were joking, right? About being interested in me."

This was the moment Lightning had needed. The next step was simple: making it look like he actually cared more about Storm than winning tomorrow's race. Lightning hesitated.  
Storm was not a good guy either, he was passive-aggressive to other racers all the time, so Lightning had his justification. But at the same time, Storm was young and new the racing world. Taking advantage of it made Lightning feel slightly evil. And he didn't want to see others getting hurt too harshly. Still, Piston Cup was far more meaningful than one rookie's emotions, right?

Lightning had made up his mind. He gave a kiss on Storm's cheek instead of saying anything. The other car turned to stare at him in awe.

"Wow, you were serious, huh?" Storm asked and his lips curved into a smile.

"Yeah. So what do you say? I know you said you're not into dates but I..."

"Nah, I'm good," Storm grinned, "How about we meet tonight? Just you and I like you wished. I think we both need some distraction from racing."

Lightning hummed in agreement. Perhaps this was a much greater idea than he had expected. Although winning his 9th Piston Cup was the priority, it didn't have to mean he and Storm couldn't be a thing afterwards. Hopefully the other was not going to be too bitter about losing.

"You know where to find me, babe," Lightning winked.

"Better be worth my precious time," Storm teased and drove away. He felt like the luckiest car in the world. The earlier humiliation was gone from his memory in a second.

As for Lightning, he found himself wondering why he had felt different racing against Storm during the training. It had been surprisingly fun and the reason for it was unknown.


	3. Chapter 3

Lightning was enjoying his nap in the trailer. Three interviews in the row with two photoshoots and a business call from his agent had sucked all of his energy. The needed rest fell short when Mack's sudden voice called for him outside.

"Hey, Lightning! You have a guest!"

Lightning jolted himself awake. Storm was here? But the sun was still up. Lightning rolled his eyes in annoyance. They were supposed to see each other in secret. Either Storm had a bad memory or he couldn't wait till night time. Lightning opened the door and droved out.

"Storm, this is not the time-"

"Hello there, Lightning." It wasn't Storm, it was Strip "The King" Weathers, the former Piston Cup champion. Although he worked as Cal's crew chief, The King always managed to find time to check on Lightning. "Sorry for bothering your break."

"No, no, it's fine! I thought you were someone else," Lightning said politely.

"Jackson Storm, right? Strange since he's the reason why I wanted to talk to you."

Mack glanced at Lightning. "Should I...leave?" He gave a nod to the truck and Mack left them in privacy.

"Let me guess. Storm has been spreading some nonsense behind my back and you came here to inform me about it," Lightning assumed this was the case but The King shook his head.

"No, he hasn't said a bad word about you at all. Why do you think he would do that?"

"Because... It's Storm, it's his thing. Anyways, what about him?"

"That kid really is something. The racing world is not gonna be the same and I'm a bit concerned for Cal. I don't think he'll make it to the final race on this season," The King explained. Lightning had also seen the rookies replacing older racers at a rapid speed. Despite him acting indifferent to the change, hearing about Cal's situation made Lightning feel sorry for both him and The King.

"That's awful... Even I'm getting questions about retirement by the press. At least Dinoco believes in me," Lightning spoke with a hint of confidence. His sponsor kept on supporting him even though Lightning hadn't won a race for a while.

"You do know that Jackson Storm discussed with Tex a few days back?"

"What? No, I haven't been told." The panic was evident on Lightning's face. What if Storm was the one with a master scheme to ensure Dinoco to fire Lightning? He was after the same sponsorship and now he was one step closer to it! Lightning couldn't believe it that he had let the rookie use his charm on him while plotting his doom behind his back.

"It's not what you think it is," The King reassured quickly. "Tex told me Storm had praised you as a racer. Said you deserve to stay 'cause you got what it takes. Tex took his words and that's why he hasn't brought up the topic about retirement."

Storm did what? Lightning let out a nervous laugh because he thought this was a bad joke. The King's collected expression stayed on and that's when Lightning understood that he was serious. Tex had actually considered firing him and Storm had possibly bought him more time. But why? The whole thing made no sense.

"I know it sounds crazy but he does treat you differently. Tell me, Lightning, what is going on between you and Storm?" The King asked with genuine curiosity. If only Lightning knew the answer to that question.

"Honestly, I dunno... I think he has some, uh, _feelings_ for me. Another fan of mine too."

"Oh, well, that's interesting. How have you responded to this?"

"It's flattering," Lightning flashed a cocky smile, "He's so distracted by me. You should have seen us training earlier today."

"Uh-huh," The King hummed and narrowed his eyes to study him. "And you will take advantage of it, won't you?"

"What? Me? No! I wouldn't never," Lightning lied which was no use. The King had already read him like an open book. He shook his head in disappointment.

"Lightning, he might be a threat when it's about racing, but he's young and inexperienced when it's about age. If he truly likes you, let it be. Don't mess with his head."

"Mr The King, I respect your advice, but this is not just a competition, this is my life. Storm is not a literal child and he has proven how nasty he can be to others. Have you heard all the stuff he had blurted on the TV? I'm willing to give him a lesson, that's all," Lightning explained casually.

The King was looking more upset to hear this. He had a suspicion that this wouldn't end well in the future. He was saddened to see Lightning's blindness to his own arrogance, the trait he still possessed after all these years. "I hope you're not going too far with this."

"Yeah, just a little fun, no big deal," Lightning lied again. "Anything else you wanna tell me?"

"No. I wish you luck for tomorrow," The King said bluntly and turned away, not caring to interact anymore. Lightning frowned at himself. Great, now he managed to upset his former idol. Mr The King acted as a father figure sometimes and Lightning appreciated it even though he found the lecturing irritating.

Mack suddenly popped up behind the trailer.

"Lightning!"

"AAH!" Lightning jumped and faced him. "What?!"

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya. Dinoco called."

"Dinoco-? Mack, you should've let me speak to them! Was it important?"

"Nah, they are just worried about the pit crew once again. Tex promised to arrange you new ones before the season ends. By the way, you better get more rest. You look pretty tense."

"I'm no longer tired. I'll go to take a drive around the beach instead."

Mack was baffled. "This is new. You don't usually do that. Did he have bad news to tell?"

"Not really. I'll be back before the sunset. See ya, pal."

Lightning took his leave for the exit. He needed to clear his head before seeing Storm tonight. If what The King had told was the truth, then Lightning owed Storm a favour. He wanted to believe that he was correct and the rookie cared only about Piston Cup, making the whole crush thing false. He would discover Storm's true intentions in a few hours and Lightning knew just the way for it.


End file.
